Twenty One
by Clara de Morra
Summary: She was the twenty-first. Nirren Sunterra origin story.


The Adjuchas Hollow leapt backwards as a group of Menos swiped and grabbed at it with clawed hands, and as its two hooves hit the ground several feet away, the Menos began shouting.

"Feed!"

"Rip!"

"Tear!"

They swarmed. The Adjuchas' claws ripped and tore and its hooves bored holes into flesh as shrieking and dying gasps meeting its ears. And with a ripping and tearing of flesh, it devoured them completely.

It had to grow.

Become stronger.

"Vasto Lorde..." It murmured, black blood dripping from its teeth.

Its blank blue eyes monitored its surroundings with an increased sense of paranoia; it knew that the Hollow world was not a peaceful place, and it knew that well, which was why it continued to feast upon the weak. There was no place for the weak here; their only purpose was to be devoured, and with each mouthful, it felt its power rise. It would eat even if it was not hungry.

"Vasto Lorde..." It repeated, its claws sticky from the black blood.

It rose to its hooves, leaving nothing behind but a small spattering of black. It had to keep moving, keep killing, keep feeding. It had to grow stronger.

Grow stronger, or be devoured.

It trudged through the endless and forever-dark desert, its hooves sinking slightly into the white sands with every step. It came across a dead tree, its branches twisted and gnarled as it reached for a sun that would never rise. The Hollow reached for the stone-like trunk, but stopped mere inches from it, raising its leg and its hoof then striking and smashing it to pile of gray-black shards. A gentle breeze blew through the stale air, the same shifting with it and partially covering the pile, and it continued onward, unintentionally towards a scattering of large boulders.

Everything seemed to fall silent as it came to a stop; even the wind grew still.

A Menos leapt from its hiding place, hoping to take the Adjuchas off-guard and take its power for its own, but its dream was short-lived as the Adjuchas tore into its shoulder with its teeth. It wailed in agony as its elongated arms were ripped from its torso completely, coating the sand in a spray of black. It attempted to flee, but it felt claws around its ankle, and it was yanked back, its leg popping from the socket with a pained howl. It struggled to get away still, but a hoof came down hard, smashing its head in, and it moved no more.

And again, the Adjuchas feasted.

It gorged itself on Menos for what must have been hours. It ripped and tore at the flesh, bones crunched between its powerful jaws, and black blood ran down its front until it was coated in it. Its tongue ran along its forearms, licking up any stray speck of blood.

"All of it..."

And yet...

It could not feel its power grow beyond what it was.

It growled lowly; perhaps it needed more powerful flesh.

So it searched the unending sands for more to feed upon. But now, the prey was far sparser than it would have liked.

"Such a simple creature..."

It whipped around to find the source of the unusually calm voice, but saw nothing.

"Your power can grow no more. No matter how many you eat."

It turned again, its gaze resting on a brown-haired man clothes in white.

"Join me. I'll give you the power you long for."

It wasn't even a question. It nodded firmly once, and the man gestured to it. It cautiously edged closer, but it was suddenly enveloped in blackness.

And all it could remember before it opened its eyes was pain.

Its eyes snapped open, only to find that it was on the ground. It pushed itself from its place, but nearly collapsed again, its surprise apparent.

_Hands_.

It had _hands_.

Instead of hard white flesh, it had soft pale skin, even paler than the man's, and slick with water or sweat. Inky black hair felt into its eyes and was quickly pulled at and examined. It felt its skin, cold from the eternal night's air, from its arms, to its chest, to its stomach, to its legs.

And it discovered it was no longer an it: it was a she.

"You have a name."

Another statement, and she nodded, gazing at the man in both awe and fear.

"Nirren Sunterra."


End file.
